So it looks like the Pacers are really going to play small. Paul George starting at the four is very likely to happen (I won't say certain since George doesn't sound very optimistic about doing so). Frank Vogel has said that his projected starting lineup will be:

I know George isn't overly excited about playing the four (mainly at the defensive end), but I really like the lineup, especially once Myles Turner is ready to step in at the five. Offensively, the floor will be wide open and George will see easier opportunities to score. CJ Miles basically stayed in Indianapolis all summer working on his game and the coachhing staff has raved about his improvement.

It will be a tough and gruling season for Paul George if he will be the PF. The reason small ball was so effective for the Warriors was because Draymond Green at 6'7-6'8 had the bulk and strength to defend bigger PF, he is also a good shot blocker for his size.

I dont think this experiment will work for the Pacers, just because George has the length doesnt mean he has the mentality and willingness to do it.

I think the biggest issue is they need a rim protecting center to cover George's back, preferably one who can dive to the hoop in the p n r (think Ty Chandler). The lack of that kind of player will really hurt.

George is a full 2 inches taller than Green - but like you said what makes Green so effective is his mental toughness & his physical strength (in other words his build)... Green, who was measured at 6' 5.75'' w/o sneakers at the NBA scouting Combine * 6' 7.25'' w/ sneakers - also weighed in at close to 240 Lbs... Green had a very wide base & he is extremely strong... Green is Not a shot blocker - he imposes his physicality on the opposition's big men by pushing them so far off the block that they are forced to set up 12 - 15 feet from the cup - this nueters many NBA big man.... This is why Green dropped to the 2nd round - NBA gm's under-estimated his ability to defend... I feel some NBA execs have fallen so in love w/ analytics that these type of skill sets are missed... Jahlil Okafor has a similar ability & skill set defensively.... Obviously the Pacers believe that Myles Turner will fill that "5" spot & protect Paul George at the "4" but this is not really Turner's skill set... Turner is not an explosive leaper / freak athlete & b/c he really struggles w/ Lateral movement many experts believe the pick & roll at the NBA level is something he really struggle to defend & that could destroy his confidencee... I Luv Turner as a Prospect & I'm so excited to watch Paul George at full strength but it's a risk to attempt to copy Golden State... The Warriors did not plan this style they adapted to the unique talents of their best players & they were rewarded for intelligent magaement & coaching... All that being said, paul george is a legit young "Franchise piece" & future Super Star & I'm excited for his return & the Pacers being back among the top 4 in the East...

he's 6'10, but he is way too skinny for NBA post play AND he is coming off of an injury. This smells like trouble for George's health... I'll take someone like Green banging w/ Blake Griffin over Paul George trying to guard him.

How many power, post 4s are there? Blake is 2x per year. Zach, too. Lamarcus takes a ton of mid-range jumpers and George can cover that. Love has turned into almost strictly an outside shooter. Bosh, too, and Bosh is even thinner. Hell, Bosh is a good comparison for how George can hopefully defend. Am I missing someone else that's going to just abuse him down low?

Its not about size, its about having the mental toughness and willingness to play the positions. Bosh has been a PF/C his whole basketball career so your comparison is off. Rudy Gay tried it last season, didnt really work for the Kings so they Drafted Cully-Stein

I think you're underestimating the physicality of matching up with an NBA big. There might not be a ton of "power" 4's but for the most part they are bigger, stronger and more physical than PG is. I can understand playing George at the 4 for short stretches throughout a game. However it's another thing to project him as the starting power forward. Lebron is built like a tank and he doesn't like playing the power forward position.

The NBA is getting faster not weaker lol. Teams are becoming more comfortable sacrificing height to increase a players effectiveness with speed, so players that meet the prototypical height of a position but are skilled enough to actually play smaller are very rare commodities. Paul George is listed at 6-9, about power forward height, but has the skill set of a shooting guard. At small forward he still taller and more dominant than most players at the position on both ends of the floor. Why would you sacrifices that kind of advantage? At 220 lbs he's a clear liability at power forward physically. Dumb decision if he does it.

The offense could be great, especially if Turner is at center hitting outside shots. But George, coming back from injury, and with a body that is thin, thinking about him trying to defend Z Randolph, P Gasol, D Favors, J Sullinger, and other large bodies in the paint, that can't be good for him.

Don't start George at power forward, but like LeBron and Pierce and other small forwards he can move to power forward when the time is right, and the macthup is good.

In theory, the Pacers might be able to copy the Thunder. They could close games with Turner and George and center and power forward like OKC have with Ibaka and Durant.

Pacers will score more now, they should be a lot more exciting, and they did have a very good draft so that will help for the future.

We play the Bulls 4 times and that means PG dealing with Gasol, Noah, Gibson and potentially Portis they are all capable bangers and I think this will wear him out, especially if Indiana line-up with them in the playoffs.

Blake Griffin, Julius Randle/Brandon Bass, Zach Randolph, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins (If WCS moves into starting line-up), Derrick Favors and Nene are all very physical players who I think PG could really struggle with. There is also Aldridge, Bosh and Millsap who can play inside but like facing up more often than not.

In saying that offensively I really think only Davis has the ability to guard PG at the 4-spot, no way those other guys keep up with him the fear is how many hits he will take and how taxing it'll be on him.

So in saying all of this out East the Bulls are my only concern and as mentioned above this league is becoming more and more position less, I hope he doesn't remain so negative about it and in turn the coaching staff and in particular Bird listen to him if he doesn't like it. I don't want him to get annoyed with Indiana and want out because he feels they are taking away from what made him great.

Very fair. I still think he could gobble up most of the shorter guys (the Celts, the Lakers) with his length, but it's worth monitoring to be sure. Is there a bench 4 he could cross cover with for worse match ups?

Shane Battier in a podcast with Zach Lowe said that it's incredibly tiring to play the small ball 4. He said he had the advantage of restin on offense where he only shot from three and did nothing else,but he was still exhausted. I don't think it's smart to have your superstar like PG exhausted because he's battling power forwards. The problem isn't only scoring,it's rebounding. Their 3rg or 4th game of the season is against Utah,how will they keep Favors and Gobert off the offensive glass? And I like small ball but I think you have to have some specific players that Indiana doesn't have.

It works a lot better, when you have Bogut and a Healthy Festus, compared to Ian Manhinmi. I don't see the Pacers having much of a choice tho, Myles Turner isn't ready and Jordan Hill blows as a starter.

So this is the interview with Paul George and the way I read the articles etc it sounded like he was really negative about it, but listening and watching the interview I can't see anything to back that up.

Is he a bit hesitant? Yeah sure, but most people are when it comes to change of any kind, but he is nothing but open and positive about this move. I think he will give it a really good shot and if it doesn't work the Pacers will surely move him out to SF again. I thought from the comments that he was acting petty, but he is showing again he is a team players Ne will give it a good go.

The celtics have a million PFs, I don't know of a trade but it seems like the pacers could get one, sullinger, david lee, and amir johnson are all low end starting quality PFs. The celtics also have Jordan mickey, crowder, jerebko, and olynik who can play PF. I feel like the pacers should be able get one of those three for relatively cheap. That way they have back up if the PG doesn't work out

It will be interesting to see how it goes, Draymond Green playing 4 is a different scenario to Paul George as Draymond is more a role player whilst Paul is the Pacer's key player and Draymond had Andrew Bogut behind him as a defensive anchor.

With more PFs being finesse mid range guys these days, Paul should not be expected to play so much low down and near the basket on defence but a very good point about it being tiring although Paul is a legit 6ft 10ins so he's not undersized to play PF although he may lack some bulk to do so.